Process of and apparatus for treating fur-hat bodies.



J. H. DERBY. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FUR HAT BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1909.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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J. H. DERBY; PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FUR HAT BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1909. I 1 123 11 3. Patented Dec. 29, 1914. g3 SHRETSSHBET 2.

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J. H. DERBY. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FUR HAT BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 6, 1909.

1 1 3 1 1 3e Patented Dec. 29,1914.

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aonu H. DERBY, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FUR-HAT BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed December 6, 1909. Serial No. 531,495.

To (1 MILO 17bit may concern:

Be it known'that 1, JOHN H. DERBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of'New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of and Apparatusfor Treating F ur-Hat Bodies, of

which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of fur hats the bodies are coated, as one of thesteps of the process of manufacturenvith a solution of shellac inalcohol, and after this has been done the coated bodies are dried byevaporating the alcohol therefrom. In drying these coated hat bodies itis desirable, for the sake of economy, to conduct the operation in suchmanner as to recover the alcohol evaporated therefrom, so that it may beused over again, and this result has heretofore been accomplished to acertain extent, but in a manner which has involved considerable dangerof injury to person or property by explosion of the alcohol vapor mixedwith air, has

been expensive on account of the amount of time required, and has alsobeen effective in recovering the alcohol in a quite dilute form only,and my invention, while adaptable to other uses, is particularlyintended to overcome the objections to the methods and apparatus whichhave heretofore been employed for the purpose above referred to.

According to my invention as utilized in connection with the manufactureof fur hats, the hat bodies after being coated with the shellac solutionare placed in a chamber which is then tightly closed and from which theair is then largely exhausted. Heat is then applied to the bodies andthe alcohol vapor is thereby evaporated therefrom, which vapor iswithdrawn through a suitable condenser where it is liquefied and fromwhich it may be Withdrawn and subsequently used'over again for the samepurpose. The process just described is preferably carried out by meansof an apparatus which forms a part of my invention and which is soconstructed and arranged that after the hat bodies have been dried inthe manner above indicated, they may be tially dried out, leaving thebodies .-soft and in suitable condition to undergo subsequentoperations.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a. plan view, partly insection, of my apparatus as preferably constructed for the particularpurpose above referred to, except that certain accessory applianceshereinafter described are omitted from this figure. Figs. 2 and 3 arerespectively a plan View and a side elevation, each partly in section,of one end of the chamber shown in Fig. 1 and certain adjacent parts,and Fig. 4' is a transverse section. through the aforesaid chamber,showing a load of hat bodies therein.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates a chamber of suitable size toreceive as many hat bodies as it is desired to treat at one operation,the walls of this chamber being of sufiicient strength to resist theexternal atmospheric pressure when the gaseous contents of the chamberare sufficiently withdrawn, as hereinafter described. This chamber isprovided, preferably at each end. with a door 3 which may be opened topermit the introduction and removal of the hat bodies, and is providedwith a number of suitable clamps 4 whereby it may be held tightlyclosed, so that the entrance of air to the chamber 2 will be effectivelyprevented.

5 indicates a pipe extending along the top of the chamber 2- andconnected at intervals with the interior of the latter by means ofbranch pipes 6.

An exhaust pipe 7 leads from the pipe 5 to a vacuum pump 8, and fromsaid-pipe 7 branches 9 and 10 lead to and from a condenser of anysuitable construction. which condenser is shown as consisting of acasing 11 having at its ends spaces 12 into which the branch pipes 9 and10 open respectively and which communicate with each other through tubes13 extending through a water chamber 14, said chamber being. locatedwithin the casing 11 between heads 15 which carry the tubes 13. andprovision being made for circulating cold water through the chamber 14bv means of water supply and discharge pipes 16v and 17 respectively.

Hand-operated shut-ofl valves 18 and '19 are included in the branchpipes 9 and 10 respectively, in order that the condenser may be cut outif desired in which case that portion of the exhaust pipe 7 whichextends between the branch pipes 9 and 10 will serve as a bv-pass pipe,being provided with a valve 20 which is closed when the valves 18 and 19are open, and is opened when said valves are closed.

' valve by shut-off valves 43, whereby, in case A pipe 21 provided witha shut-off valve 22 leads from the condenser to a receiving tank 23,which tank is shown as provided with a gage 24 and with a draW-ofl'pipe25 controlled by a valve or cock 26.

For supplying heat to the interior of the chamber 2 I prefer to employ aseries of steam coils 27 extending horizontally on the bottom of thechamber 2. and connected by a pipe 28 passing through the wall of thechamber toa steam supply pipe 29. haust steam may be used for thispurpose, and the steamcoils 27 may discharge into a steam trap 30. Ialso provide means for discharging steam into the chamber 2, consisting,in the construction illustrated, of a pipe 31 preferably extendinglongitudinally along the bottom of the chamber and provided with anumber of perforations 32, and a pipe connection 33 leading out throughthe wall of the chamber to the steam supply pipe 29. Said pipe 33preferably includes a superheater for drying the steam which passesthrough it, which superheater mayconsist of coils 34 inclosed in acasing 35 to which live steam is led through a pipe 36 from another pipe37 connected to, a' source of supply, such as the steam pipe 38 whichfeeds the power cylinder of the vacuum pump 8. 'The outlet 39 from thecasing 35 leads to a steam trap 40.

In the arrangement illustrated, I have shown the pipes 33 and 36 asconnected by a by-pass pipe 41 containing a reducing valve (indicateddiagrammatically at 42) and controlled on both sides of the reducing asupply of exhaust steam'is not available, live steamfrom the boiler maybe brought down to a suitable pressure and sup lied through the pipe 33to the heating coils 27.

44 and 45 indicate pressure gages adapted respectively to indicate theamount of vacuum in the chamber 2 and the steam pressure in the heatingcoils 27, and" 46 'indicates'a pipe leading into the chamber 2 andprovided with a shut-off valve 47, whereby air may be admitted ,to saidchamber.- An inwardly-opening relief valve, indicated diagrammaticallyat 48, is preferably included in the pipe 46, which relief valve isadjusted to open in case the pressure in the chamber 2 falls below thedesired minimum.

. As thus constructed, the apparatusoperates as follows: Assuming that anumber of coated hat bodies have beeen placed within the chamber 2 andthe doors to said chamber have been tightly closed, the Vacuum pump 8 isoperated and air is exhausted from said chamber 2 until the pressuretherein 1s re-' duced, preferably, to about three pounds absolute.During this operation the condenser Il may be cut out and the fairremoved through the by-pass portion of the pipe 7. Afterthis has beendone, steam is turned into the 'coils 27 and the contents of the chamber2 are thereby heated, thus drying the hat bodies by driving off thealcohol 'vapor from the shellac solution with which the same purpose.After the hat bodies have been freed from alcohol as above described,dry steam is admitted to the chamber 2 through the perforated pipe 31and the hat bodies, which have been rendered hard and brittle bytheprevious drying process, are thereby softened, the object of'superheating the steam employed for this purpose being to. keep the hatbodies as dry as possible. By this step in the process the hat bodiesare softened, so that they become pliable and will not crack, and afterthe steaming process has beencompleted steam is admitted once more tothe heating coils 27 and the moisture in the hat bodies which has beenabsorbed from the steam, is partially dried out, leaving the bodiesready for subsequent operations. This drying process may be expedited byoperating the vacuum pump.

- Thenormal atmospheric pressure is then reestablished in the chamber'2,its doors are opened andthe hat bodies are removed.

' In order to provide for the convenient treatment at one time of largenumber of hat bodies, I have devised a carrying and suspending apparatusconsisting 'of a wheeled truck 49 adapted .to travel on rails 50 laidalong the bottom of the chamber 2,

which-truck carries an open framework 51 provided at its top withhorizontal bars 52 on which are suspended a numberof upright supports53'by means of hooks 54 at their respective upper ends. Each of thesupports 53 has a number of pins55, radiating outward and upwardtherefrom and so arranged that each pin is adapted to truck thus loadedis then pushed up to and into the chamber 2 along rails 57 which extendfrom the ,ends of the chamber to any desired points. In the constructionillustrated the rail sections 58' which are located adjacentto the endsof the chamber'2 are movable out of the path of .the doors 3 when it isdesired to. open or close the lat ter, beingshown in Figs. 2 and 3 ascarried and connected by cross-ties 59 and by 'a transversely-extendingrod 60 pivotally mounted in; fixed brackets 61, so that the carry a hatbody 56'and expose it to the sections 58 can be swung from a horizontalto a vertical position. The rod 60 is provided with anupwardly-extending arm 62 carrying a counterweight 63 whichsubstantially counterbalances the rail sections 58, the arrangementbeing such that when these sections are elevated into the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 3 they will be held in this position by thecounterweight 63 and will be out of the path of the door 3, so that thelatter may then be opened or closed. When the door 3 is open, however,the rail sections 58 may be lowered into the position shown in -fulllines in Fig. 3, in which position their free ends extend slightly intothe chamber and substantially abut-against the ends of the rails 50,their weight being suf ficient to hold them down since thecounterweighted arm 62 is atthis time in'a nearly vertical position, asshown.

Assuming that the doors 8 are open and that the rail sections 58 are intheir lowered position shown in Fig. 2, as many of the loaded trucks 49as the chamber 2 will hold may be pushed along the tracks thus .providedand into the chamber, and incase the chamber contains. trucks loadedwith hat bodies which have previously been treated therein, the lattertrucks will be pushed out of the chamber by the entering trucks and maythen be moved along the rails to any desired point. The arrangementabove de: scribed is advantageous not only because it provides forsupporting and handling a large number of hat bodies at one time and ina convenient manner, but also because it renders it unnecessary for theoperatives to enter the chamber 2, either to place the hat bodiestherein or to remove the same, so they are not exposed to the injuriouseffect of the alcohol vapor which is evaporated from the hat bodies.

It is an important feature of my invention that it eliminates all dangerof explosion of the alcohol vapor, since the chamber 2 is closed and theair is practically exhausted therefrom before the alcohol is evaporatedfrom the hat bodies, and after this evaporation has commenced thechamber cannot be opened again, on account of the external air pressureagainst the doors, until the process has been completed. My apparatusalso serves for steaming the hat bodies after the alcohol has beenremoved, and also for drying the hat bodies after they have beensteamed, so that the alcoholrecovering, hat-steaming and hat-dryingoperations are all accomplished by means of one apparatus Without anyintermediate handling of the hat bodies.

I claim as my invention:-

'1. The herein described process of treating articles containing avolatile solvent which consists in inclosing said articles in a chamber,exhaustng air from said chamber,

heating the articles. in the chamber while subjected to the vacuumtherein, withdrawing the vaporized solvent from the chamber, introducingdry steam into the chamber to soften the articles, and then heating thearticles a second time while in said chamber.

2. The herein described process of treating articles containing avolatile solvent which consists in inclosing said articles in a chamber,exhausting air from the chamber, heating the articles in the chamberwhile subjected to the vacuum therein, introducing dry steam into thechamber to soften the articles, again exhausting the gaseous contentsfrom the chamber, and heating the articles a second time while subjectedto the vacuum in the chamber to drive off all moisture from thearticles.

3. The herein described process of treating hat bodies, which consistsin inclosing the same in a chamber while freshly coated with a solutioncontaining a volatile solvent, exhausting air from the chamber, thenheating the contents of the chamber and thereby vaporizing said solvent,withdrawing the vaporized solvent from the chamber, then admitting steamto the chamber until the hat bodies are softened, and finally shuttingoff the steam supply and heating the contents of the chamber once moreuntil the same are sufiiciently dried.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a chamber adaptedto receive articles to be treated, independently operating means, forheating the contents of the chamber and for establishing a substantialvacuum in said chamber by withdrawing the gaseous contents therefrom, aseparating condenser adapted to receive vapors from the articles treatedand means for admitting dry steam to said chamber.

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a chamber for thereception of articles containing a volatile solvent,independently-operating means for heating the contents of the chamberand for establishing a substantial vacuum in said chamber by withdrawingthe gaseous contents therefrom, a condenser for the reception of thevaporized solvent, a perforated pipe located in the chamber and adaptedto discharge dry steam into the same, and means associated with thecondenser for collecting the volatile solvent when withdrawn from thechamber and condensed.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of achamber, an exhaust pipe leading therefrom and comprising two branchescontrolled by independent valves, one of which branches includes acondenser, a vacuum pump connected to the exhaust pipe, steam-heatingcoils located within the chamber, means for controlling the admission ofsteam thereto,

and means for supplying steam to the interior of the chamber..

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of achamber, an exhaust pipe leading'therefrom and comprising two branchescontrolled by independent valves, one cf which branches includesacondenser, a vacuum pump connected to the exhaust pipe, steam-heatingcoils located within the chamber, means for controlling the admission ofsteam thereto, 'means for supplying exhauststeam to the interior of thechamber, and means for superheating the exhaust steam "before it isadmitted to the chamber.

8. In an apparatus of the character 'described, the combination of achamber, steam-heating coils contained therein, pipe connections betweensaid coils and a supply of exhaust steam, a steam pipe contained in saidchamber and opening directly into the same, pipe connections betweensaid steam pipe and the supply of exhaust steam, a superheater includedin said pipe connections and means for supplying live steam thereto,pipe connections extending from the live steam pipe to the exhaust steampipe and including a reducing valve, and

valves controlling said pipe connections.

9. In an apparatus of the character. described, the combination of achamber, steam-heating coils contained therein, pipe connections betweensaid coils and a supply of exhaust steam, asteam pipe contained in saidchamber and opening directly into the same, pipe connections betweensaid-steam pipe and the supply of exhaust steam, a superheater includedin said pipe connections and means for supplying live steam thereto,pipe connections extending from the live steam pipe to the exhaust steampipe and including a reducing valve, valves controlling said pipeconnections, a vacuum pump, an exhaust pipe leading from the interior ofthe chamber to the vacuum pump, and a condenser adapted to be includedin the exhaust pipe.

,In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th dayof No vember, 1909.

JOHN H. DERBY. Witnesses:

lnAs. W. STEVENS, EDNA M. DENTON.

